Mini Review: Sweet Little Lies by Sierra Hill

Hey guys so excited to be sharing this quick and simple mini review with y'all!! I know this post is going to be a little shorter than my usual posts but thats only because I'm so excited to get this review up and out onto into the open!!
  I typically don't read that many steamy romantic reads (mostly because I am too busy burying myself into the addictive worlds that both Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas have gifted us with) but when I stumbled across this book I just couldn't help it I had to get my hands on it IMEDIENTLY! You know me I love a good romance and what I love even more is a good bad boy romance so when this title flashed across my eyes I just couldn't not look into it (plus that cover?!?! Pure adorableness!)
 Sorry if I'm boring you all with my swooning but I cannot help it! A romance with a cute and naughty basketball player and a sweet and protective good girl? Yes please! If romance isn't your typical style I highly recommend checking this out if your in need of a change because this story will melt your heart!

Sweet Little Lies

By Sierra Hill

Rating: 4/5 (steamy) stars


Summary: Lance:
Some lies are meant to deceive. Others to protect.
My lies have done nothing but harm. They push people away. Even the people that I want to hold onto for dear life. Mica Reyes is too beautiful and pure for my tarnished soul, although I want her with a fierceness of a caged lion.
They say letting go of your grief and your sins will unburden you and set you free. But it's her I need to set free from the pain I’ll cause from loving her too much.

Mica:
My Abuelita always said I should never give my heart away unless I knew it would be in capable hands. To give it to a man who would love and cherish me and put me first above all others.
But my heart didn't listen. I fell for Lance Britton, the college basketball player who uses humor to outwardly disguise the emotional turmoil that lives inside him. To hide his painful secrets.
But I know him. And although I hate ultimatums, I may need to give him one before the lies between us grow any deeper. Letting go may be the only way to reach him. 

This book was SO much fun! I honestly wasn't expecting a lot that happened and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised multiple times while reading this! I loved the concept of the off the rails party boy Lance pinning after an out of his league good girl- Mica who happens to have suppressed feeling for him as well! 

  Mica and Lance were absolutely adorable and I loved the way their romance grew and progressed over time!! I personally love a good game of cat and mouse between two characters and the sexual tension between them made it nearly impossible to put this book down! I really liked how this book also touched on the importance of race and how different families viewed their relationship (because Mica was Mexican and Lance was white) and I thought it only added to the depth of the story. 

 This book was the perfect amount of intense and steamy as well as sweet and heart wrenching and I LOVED every bit of it! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book when it comes out!! I highly recommend to readers that love a steamy romance with a broken leading man and a strong sensitive leading lady that only make one another stronger when they find one another!!

 Thank you Net galley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review!! 

Lets Chat!

Have you read any good romance reads lately? Have a favorite character that sweeps you off your feet? Love a good game of cat and mouse? Let me know in the comments below!!

BOOK REVIEW: Vendetta by Catherine Doyle

Vendetta

 By: Catherine Doyle

Rating: 4/5 stars 

summary: When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys' dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties - the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break.

OMG this book was AWESOME!!! 

I mean in all honesty I have (and always will) have a soft spot for bad boy romances. And oh boy was this another winner in that department! The story takes place in a small town where a girl named sophie works in her dads dinner. Its summer time and her days are pretty boring, mostly filled with work, hanging out with her friends, and coping with moving into her new house. Sophie's a very likable, normal teenage girl who I think most girls could relate to in one way or another. 

In all honesty the beginning of the book is a bit boring... as most beginnings of series are (too much background info.... yuck) Things finally start to get a little spicy when the creepy mansion thats been vacant for years ends up with new residents. And lets just say the new residents aren't old boring people but 5 HOT ITALIN BROTHERS! this alone was enough to sell me (and sell me on the rest of the series)

Sophie ends up encountering the brothers (not knowing they moved in) at the dinner where she works (naturally all occurrences in small towns always seem to happen in dinners- at least in books) This is where we all meet the swoon worthy Nicoli! and his rude (but still annoyingly hot) brother Lucas. And so begins the instant attraction and affair that is sophie and nicoli. 

“Do I frighten you?' He tilted his head.
'Yes,' I said weakly. 'Are you proud of yourself?'
He looked at me for a long moment before replying. 'No, I'm not,' he said so faintly I had to strain to hear him.” 

This book is so fabulously entertaining I seriously could not put it down! (no for real I stayed up waaaayyy later than I should have reading this) (school was a total drag the next day!) But it was SO worth it! The forbidden romance! The midnight kisses! And the hidden danger that is always lurking because news flash! The italians are a part of the mafia!!! (did I mention I love this book? because I LOVE this book!) 

“I knew I couldn’t trust my illogical heart, and that meant I had to do everything in my power to stay away from him so I wouldn’t have to.” 

Plus the action packed ending?!!?!? How could you do that to us Catherine Doyle! Like why must you tear out my heart and then potentially make me switch ships.... hey I said potentially people!! (I hate to cheat on Nicoli... but I may have no choice here!) (*takes deep breathes*) 

“There is beauty everywhere; even in the dark, there is light, and that is the rarest kind of all.” 

I quite literally need the second book... oh I don't know NOW!!!! If you have not read this series I HIGHLY recommend you give it a chance especially if you are a sucker for bad boys, mafia related drama, secret romances and a whole lot of gut wrenching action (I mean there was a few scenes in there where I wanted to SCREAM at Sophie in order to stop her from doing some seriously idiotic stuff!!)

PLEASE READ!!

Have you read Vendetta? If so what did you think? If not have you read any good romance reads lately? Let me know in the comments below!

-BubblyBooks

Anti Valentines Day Book Tag! (Books that are basically anti-romantic mushy feelings and a whole lot more action!)

Hey guys! Happy Sunday! I'm sure you guys all know valentines day is right around the corner and as usual you can find me holed up in my house probably watching some outrageously unrealistic rom-com and eating see's candies. While I'm sure some of you are fans of this over commercialized holiday- I however am not one of them. Its not that I'm against that holiday in general its just that in my history valentines day has always been an uneventful weekday the highlight of which is the heart shaped candy that accompanies it.

 So in honor of my feelings towards this day of love I have created the Anti-Valentines day book tag in which I ask you all what books you have read that are basically anti mushy feelings, happy endings, or anything that holds a candle to Ten Things I Hate About You or The Notebook (if you have not heard of said romance movies than I suggest this valentines day you acquaint yourself with them ASAP) The goal is simple: just follow the rules listed below and answer the questions!

Rules of the tag:
1) Link back to the blog that tagged you!
2) Answer the 10 anti valentines day questions provided
3) Come up with your own 10 anti valentines questions
4) Don't forget to tag ten of your favorite bloggers!


Questions:

1) Name a character that annoys you for no apparent reason.

2) Whats a book you read that ended in total heartbreak?

3) Whats a book where one of your fav characters doesn't make it?

4) A character thats a total buzz kill?(we have all experienced that downer character that sometimes you wish would just go away!)

5) A book in which  the dread love triangle makes an appearance?

6) Name a book filled with action packed fighting scenes.

7) A book in which the older brother causes issues for the main couple?

8) A really sad book that makes you cry your eyes out while simultaneously breaking your heart?

9) A book filled with blood and gruesome scenes you can't get out of your head?

10) Whats your favorite anti-valentines day movie?

My Answers:

1) Name a character that annoys you for no apparent reason.

Megan chase bothered me for some reason! Its like every time she was in danger she would do the stupidest things! And also she would never listen to Ash or anything he said about danger, I don't know she just bothered me for some reason.

2) Whats a book you read that ended in total heartbreak?

 This book was INTENSE! The good kind however (one of my all time favorite series to be exact) However the ending of these book always left me in pieces and quite literally ripped my heart out and continued to stomp on it repeatedly (although this is also one of the reasons I LOVED this series because it made me FEEL THINGS!) So if you need a book with anti instant love or mushiness I highly recommend this series. 

3) Whats a book where one of your fav characters doesn't make it?

Okay I'm not going to give away who died here for obvious reasons (spoilers..) but this ending crushed me and quite literally ruined me for all future Alice in Wonderland spin offs in the future.

4) A character thats a total buzz kill?(we have all experienced that downer character that sometimes you wish would just go away!)

The main character, Zoey Redbird (which is such a book name now that I think about it) was a complete clueless and idiotic teenage girl who's personality was pretty much a toxic combo of every teen stereotype known to man. Her attitude towards everything was completely toxic and is what made her a total buzzkill for me.

5) A book in which  the dread love triangle makes an appearance?

Okay, okay so I just finished this book (like yesterday) and there wasn't a flat out love triangle going on... the whole thing was a lot more subtle than all that but there was DEFINITELY a love triangle vibes! I trust my instincts here...

6) Name a book filled with action packed fighting scenes.

I will forever rant about how AMAZING this series is because I just love it so much!! This whole series has great action scenes and there is quite literally never a dull moment! I mean theres fighting evil vampires, evil classmates, undermining villains... the list goes on! The perfect series if your not feeling valentines day this year!

7) A book in which the older brother (or best friend/ other sibling) causes issues for the main couple?

So this book would have to fall under the best friend category when it comes to this question... and by that I am referring to Blue and Adam while having Gansey hanging over Blue's head the whole time. The whole situation is very mysterious and frustrating because of the irony of it all (like we all know who blues going to end up with yet we have to deal with this!?! Really?)

8) A really sad book that makes you cry your eyes out while simultaneously breaking your heart?

This book is actually severely underrated and was surprising the least read book I picked up according to Good Reads last year. Its all about a boy who hasn't spoken in years and a girl who apparently can live for forever. Its really touching the way these two connect and share memories and the ending brought tears to my eyes while touching my soul at the same time. I highly recommend! Especially if your in need of a good cry this valentines.

9) A book filled with blood and gruesome scenes you can't get out of your head?

So this book wasn't gruesome so much as graphic and descriptive. I consider myself a reader that can handle a lot of explicit violence in books (as long as it isn't unnecessary and contributes the the plot) but the opening scene of this and the scene in the end where they explicitly describe the part in which the girl is violated at a college really stuck with me. Maybe its because the girls age isn't that far off from mine or just because it reminded me of the unknown dangers that lurk in the world (or perhaps its that stories like these have really happened that scared me the most) either way this book really stuck with me and I highly recommend!!

10) Whats your favorite anti-valentines day movie?

I love this movie for when I'm in the mood for some mind numbing action filled with sexy cars and a fast paced story line, a perfect movie for Anti Valentines day!

I Tag:

- Cait @ PaperFury
-Aimee @AimmeAlways 
- Michelle @As Told by Michelle 
-Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight
-Marie @ Drizzle an Hurricane Books
-Sophie @ Blame Chocolate  
- Cassandra @Functional Bookaholic
-Many @Book Princess reviews
-Loretta @Laughing Listener 
- Amber @ The Literary Phoenix 

I also tag all you readers out there!!

How do you feel about Valentines day? Do you love it? Hate it? Do you read any books for the occasion? Let me know in the comments below!

-BubblyBooks

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that have been on my TBR for the longest time (and how I still haven't gotten around to reading them...)

 Hey guys! Happy February! January felt like a total drag but I'm glad to say its over and I survived. 2018 is officially in full swing and I hope for all our sakes that this year will be even bigger and better than the last!

 On that note I hope your 2018 has been filled with tons of reading! (Friends: Hey wanna hang out sometime? Me: Cant sorry I'm busy *Picks up book and sits on the couch*) I don't know if it was just me but january was a really successful month of reading for me! (YAAS!) but somehow I must have drained all my luck because this month has been ROUGH! I have not picked up a physical book since the start of the month... and I' starting to wonder what the heck I'm doing wrong to deserve this terrible book karma (book gods if you listening its me and I really need an amazing book right now).

 That being said in place of reading I have been endlessly stalking Good Reads and adding to my TBR like never before (I swear there are more books being added per day than nachos that have been eaten this past sunday) I mean I can't be the only person that when they wake up the first app they check is not twitter, its not Instagram, nope for me its Good Reads (I think its becoming a problem how much time I now spend on there.... should I be concerned? *checks goodreads while writing this*)

 Anyways since my reading is at an all time low I thought I would share with you all the wonderful books that have been keeping my TBR company:

Callum and Harper
 by: Fisher Amelie

Summary: Life sucks for orphans Callum Tate and Harper Bailey. 

Kicked out of their foster homes because they suffer the 'eighteen disease' with nothing but a hundred dollar check from the government and a pat on the back, they're forced to rely on a system that failed them miserably. 

So they sit. They sit inside Social Services, waiting for their social workers to call their names and offer them the miracle they know will never come but they sit anyway because they have nowhere else to go, no other options on their very literal and figurative empty plates.

But as they sit, they notice the other. Although captivated, they each come to the conclusion that life is complicated enough without throwing in a boiling tension that can't ever be acted upon because they're both too busy thinking about where their next meal will come from but when their names are called and both are placed on a year long waiting list for permanent housing, suddenly relying on each other seems like a very viable plan B. 

And, oh, how lovely Plan B's can be. 

Well, except for the psycho from Harper's past that haunts her and, oh, yeah, there's the little issue that neither of them knows they're in love with the other. 

Needless to say, Callum & Harper's life just got a bit more complicated.

“One day, you and I are gonna’ wake up and be alright. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but one day. One day. I promise you.” - Callum Tate

 Rereading this summary I am still REALLY excited about this book! I mean it has everything I love! Tortured romance, foster care, finding each other as there finding themselves!?! Not sure why I haven't read this yet...

Wayfarer (passenger #2) 

 By: Alexandra Bracken

Summary: (has spoilers considering its the second book so since I'm so kind I will not be sharing it with you all because spoilers) 

Okay so I read the first book and I liked it but I guess I haven't liked it enough to pick up the sec on book? I mean to be honest its been so long I remember like... nothing that happened in the first book so... yeah there that. 

Summary: Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

I liked the first book in this series... but to be honest I didn't love it and will probably not continue this series because of that... but who knows maybe one day? (AKA I will never delete this from my TBR) 

Summary: The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying.

And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot—searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

What unfolds is a dazzling, yet deeply human, roller coaster of a novel, spanning fifty years and nearly as many lives. From the lavish set of Cleopatra to the shabby revelry of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Walter introduces us to the tangled lives of a dozen unforgettable characters: the starstruck Italian innkeeper and his long-lost love; the heroically preserved producer who once brought them together and his idealistic young assistant; the army veteran turned fledgling novelist and the rakish Richard Burton himself, whose appetites set the whole story in motion—along with the husbands and wives, lovers and dreamers, superstars and losers, who populate their world in the decades that follow. 

Gloriously inventive, constantly surprising, Beautiful Ruins is a story of flawed yet fascinating people, navigating the rocky shores of their lives while clinging to their improbable dreams.

This seems really interesting but again will forget all about it after five seconds and that is why folks I have an endless TBR

Summary: When it comes to revenge, love is a dangerous complication.With a fierce rivalry raging between two warring families, falling in love is the deadliest thing Sophie could do. An epic debut set outside modern-day Chicago.

When five brothers move into the abandoned mansion in her neighbourhood, Sophie Gracewell's life changes forever. Irresistibly drawn to bad boy Nicoli, Sophie finds herself falling into a criminal underworld governed by powerful families. As the boys' dark secrets begin to come to light, Sophie is confronted with stinging truths about her own family, too. She must choose between two warring dynasties - the one she was born into, and the one she is falling in love with. When she does, blood will spill and hearts will break. 

Ok so cheers to me on this book because I actually put this on hold at my local library so I might actually get around to reading something on my tbr?!?! (crazy right? *high fives self*) Plus my book club already read it without me... so I guess I'm just really behind with everything in life right now? (senioritis is real my friends!) 

Summary: “I made the wrong choice.”

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

 This looks adorable. I mean look at that cover! There is literally ice cream on it! However I have heard some really negative things regarding this book and because of that I don't know if I want my high expectations to be squashed (and have me be a crying heap on the floor) (Hear someone crying in class, yeah thats me trying to collect myself after having my dreams crushed by this book! I just don't know if my heart can handle another book disappointment! I may never crawl out of the book slump I'm in!) (*breathes heavily and tries not to panic*)

Summary: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. 

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match

Okay this is probably the book that has been on there the longest... love the plot line.. love the idea... will probably only read if its just me, this book, and the apocalypse. 

Summary: Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

Okay this was one of my most anticipated reads of this past year but all I have heard is the sound of other Good Read members and bloggers tears as they rant about how disastrous this book was! Cannot say I wasn't disappointed. Probably will never pick this up now...

Summary: Surprises abound and sparks ignite in the highly anticipated, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door

Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To:
- find the liquor cabinet blindfolded
- need a liver transplant
- drive his car into a house

Alice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To:
- well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.

For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.

Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.

And Alice is caught in the middle.

Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this return to the world of My Life Next Door is a story about failing first, trying again, and having to decide whether to risk it all once more. 

Okay super cute right? I literally do not know what is wrong with me and why I haven't picked this book up because if you could encompass everything I love about books and throw it in a single book? This book would be it. Maybe I'm just having a book reading crisis... because I keep seeing books that are perfect for me and yet I do nothing and end up not reading anything?!?!

Summary: Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.

1777. Albany, New York.

As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball.

Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history. 

I have recently rediscovered how much I LOVE historical fiction and I really want to read this one day... I just don't think its going to be any time soon! (RIP me) 

Have any books you haven't gotten a chance to read yet? Do you struggle with your endless TBR on the daily? Don't worry your not alone. Look for comfort in the comments below as we all try to work through are never ending TBR's! 

-BubblyBooks 

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Cant Believe I Read

  Hey there! I'm going to mix it up by trying something I've never done before and that is the Top Ten tuesday posts! I was introduced to this by the lovely That Artsy Reader Girl blog and I have to say I am SO happy I did! I'm always looking for new ways to improve and expand my blog and I hope you all enjoy my first ever post about books I cannot believe I read (seriously I cannot believe I read some of this stuff.... let alone thought it was decent?) (this was clearly from my pre Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo days and is probably why I had such low expectations!)

Marked
 by: Kristin Cast

rating: 2/5

I didn't think this book was that bad when I started reading it but after I finished it and sat down and thought about it.... ya it was horrible. The plot lines were majorly cliche and the writing was a bunch of teenage stereotypes shoved into one sentence at a time. I was definitely disappointed seeing as I had gotten the whole series at a book sale and I just hated it so much I couldn't bring myself to pick up the second one. 

Red Queen
 By: Victoria Aveyard

Rating: 3/5

This book is a really hyped book and I read it way back when I first started on Goodreads and I didn't read any reviews going in and I have to say the whole thing fell flat. I wasn't in love with the characters I didn't really like the plot, and the surprise "villain" in the end wasn't even all that surprising. Like is this all you got Victoria Aveyard? Frankly I am disappointed (it is safe to say I did not continue to read this series and I am sorry if this offended any people out there who love this book. It is not an attack on you at all this book just personally wasn't for me) 

Perfected
 By: Kate Birch

Rating: 3/5

  Okay so I read this book a realllllly long time ago and I vaguely remember enjoying it but not thinking that it was the best thing ever at the same time. I mean I liked the romance that was going on but the whole concept of the thing was strange. It was about this really small genetically engineered girl who the rich buy as pets after their taught manners and how to dress and eat properly... their essentially human dolls and looking back now I'm surprised I wasn't more disturbed or creeped out by this.

Frostfire
 by: Amanda Hocking

Rating: 4/5

This book wasn't bad either. It was actually quite unique being that it was about elves and a bit of magic and all that jazz. The writing however... just didn't do it for me. The world building was okay but I just found the whole thing a bit lacking in this department. Maybe because it was a dead ringer for The Vampire Academy at time and this just paled in comparison to that gem of a series. 

Until Friday Night
 By: Abbi Glines

Rating: 2/5

This book rubbed me the wrong way SOOO many times. I mean just the fact that it was so sexist at time and really painfully unrealistic I just can't believe I even finished it. I mean they new each other for all of five minutes and despite her whole "not talking to anybody bc of emotion damage" she ended up spilling her guts to the jerk (aka love interest) within the first five minutes of meeting?!?! Like whats up with that? Also that fact that after two weeks they were sleeping together? Like hello? I think these things deserve a little more time if you ask me.

Just One Day
By: Gayle Forman

Rating: 3/5

This book I can see being a solid read for some people but for me it was a snooze fest. I mean the whole book was incredibly boring to me and all I really remember is that the whole time they were looking for one another after a supposed "perfect" first day together and so on... I'll have to pass.

Map of Fates
by: Maggie Hall

Rating: 3/5

This book was the second book in the series and I have to say I LOVED the first book, A conspiracy of us but this book annoyed me SO MUCH! I did NOT like where the author took this book! The ending was so bleh and I really did not love the whole searching around the world for clues and stuff. Like it wasn't even all that glamorous like it was in the first book and I feel like if you travel around the world in a secret society you just need private jets and sparkly gowns to complete the whole thing. Loved the first book but this was sadly disappointing. 

Beautiful Creatures
by: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohe

Rating: 4/5

This book I actually didn't hate however I'm just surprised I even got through it just because of how darn long it was! I mean there was several lull periods where not much was happening, and also it was out of my comfort zone for me because it was narrated by a guy POV and I usually only read girls POV so that was a new one for me. But overall I really loved the magic and the magical changing house was amazing (totally loved that!) overall I would recommend I was just surprised I stuck with it considering the lagging (sadly I have not continued this series although it is on my TBR) 

The Glittering Court 
 By; Richelle Mead

Rating: 3/5

This book was an utter fail in my opinion. It totally shattered my heart because Richelle Mead is the goddess that created The Vampire Academy series (which if you didn't already know from my obsessive taking about it, I LOVE THEM!) She also is the one to give birth to the all wonderful The Bloodlines series (which is also another AMAZING vampire series, if you have not read it READ IT!) This book just broke my heart because Mead tried to dip her toe into historical fiction and failed miserably. The amount of detail was lacking for what is standard for a historical fiction novel, and also she sandwiched in a bunch of stereotypes about being a "sassy" and "Strong independent women" in old fashioned times and she didn't do it in a way that was unique so I was just really let down. Also what was that plot? Like half of it was irrelevant things that had to no relation let alone was remotely interesting. The only reason this is a 3 stars is cause the romance was decent in the first half and I loved the dresses, without that it would have been a 2. 

Sweet Evil

 By: Wendy Higgins 

Rating: 5/5

LOVED THIS BOOK! AHHHH! I cannot scream at you enough to read this!!!!!! It may seem a tad cliche at first but please for the sake of your and my own sanity read it and finish it! This book will not disappoint! I went in mostly with a bit of curiosity because I had been seeing it so much on Good Reads lists that figure I had to give it a try because it had everything I loved (I mean hello supernatural and hot steamy romance)! This book was really interesting to me because I don't read a lot of books about demons and angels together and I thought this was done beautifully and I loved the ideas of the demons father watching over the half demon children! I guess I was surprised I read this only because of how long it took me to get my hands on it! And also the fact that it was a bit cheesy looking, but complete and utter gold on the inside! I look foreword to what Wendy Higgins writes next! 

 Have you read any book you can't believe you read? Books you regret or hated? Book that totally surprised you and you loved them? Please let me know in the comments below!!

-BubblyBooks 

Warcross By Marie Lu (deliciously entertaining, I could not stop reading this and did not want it to end!)

 

Hi y'all! I hope your having a wonderful saturday! I for one am looking foreword to the down time that comes with not having to deal with the craziness that seems to consume the week days. I was able to get my hands on this fabulous book (shown below in that large image. Is the cover not beautiful?) and finished it in a matter of days (if you don't count the long period in which I finished two books after reading about 60 pages of this)
  Quick thoughts (for people too lazy to read all the review below, no judgement we all have our moments) LOVED THIS BOOK!!! please read it!! You will not regret! It is SO much fun and totally and completely entertaining you will not be bored! (I promise)
 Full review is below containing all my inner most thoughts and feelings (typed in all caps of course because this books is so good it deserves all the cap's and fan girling its going to get)!!

Warcross
 By: Marie Lu

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Summary: For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. 

AHHHH THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME! It totally blew away my expectations in every regard!!! I want to scream at people who haven't read this book to READ IT!

 *pauses to collect myself*

I just loved how original and unique this whole plot was!!! I mean it takes place in a really cool futuristic version of the world in which the whole society is obsessed with playing the game Warcross which is essentially a very high tech version of virtual reality in which you become your avatar in virtual worlds. The fun continues with the Warcross glasses allowing you to see virtual add ons people buy for themselves in the real world. I mean it was just so immersive and I loved it!

“Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.” 

 First of all I loved the characters. Emika was this amazing kick butt hacker who can figure out incredibly difficult coding problems in like less than a minute and this is what ends up catching the  attention of some interesting people.....

 Hideo was not what I was expecting at all. He had this very dark side to him that he was always trying to cover up with this illusion of being perfect and it was all very intriguing.

“It is hard to describe loss to someone who has never experienced it, impossible to explain all the ways it changes you. But for those who have, not a single word is needed.”

 I also LOVED all of Emika's team mates in the game. Hammie was my personal fav and I was shipping her and Asher 100% all the way ( I mean if marie lu decided to write a book about those two... *freaks out* I would read it in a heartbeat!!) Roshan is also extremely lovable and I love how protective and caring he is for all the members of the team, I just love him.

  It took me about 100 pages to really get into this book (which is pretty normal for a first book in a series because.... background info!) but once I was able to actually sit down and you know READ it took me all of two seconds (and a few hundred pages) and I was completely and utterly hooked!

“Everyone has a price.” 

 Emika starts off as this dirt poor (and I mean noodle eating, mattress squatting poor) girl who is just trying to get through life day by day in order to pay off her debt and get on with her life. In order to stay afloat she's a bounty hunter for the police where she signs up to catch criminals who are illegally betting on Warcross and I just love this about her because whats more kick butt then being an off the grid bounty hunter?!?! Like excuse me? Also if that wasn't enough she has a full head of rainbow hair to top it all off.

The writing and the story building is also INCREDIBLE I loved how original this story was! I don't read a lot of books that take place in the future (with the exception of time traveling books and dystopians) but this was totally cool because it was like looking through time in order to see just how technology reliant our society becomes and it felt so tangible and realistic and like this could really happen and ugh! I just could not get enough!
 I also really loved the stories of Emikas past and the way she described her relationship with her dad was really heart wrenching and I also loved how Marie Lu mixed in all his flaws with all his good qualities because it really helped me understand Emika better as a character without filtering out the bad.

And you know me in order for a book to be a true four star (Almost 5) there had to be some sort of romance/ and or relationship going on. So it comes as no surprise that when Hideo and Emika were thrown together lets just say some sparks were flying.

 They were super cute and electric and I loved them right from the start and started hard core shipping them after he whispered in her ear at the first Warcross opening party. I mean LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS am I right? (excuse how big of a sap I am, its just my uncontrollable nature coming out here)

“She was so beautiful. But beauty can make people forgive a thousand cruelties.” 

Plus there was some insane plot twists going on here?!?! I mean I pretty sure at one time some stuff blew up, and then there were some shocking sob story confessions and to top it all off a rival with some legit beef so I am proud to say I was happily entertained for about 90% of the time. The only reason this book wasn't a full five stars is because I kind of predicted the outcome (okay, I did) of a really big reveal about 100 pages before said reveal and that kind of ruined some of the magic for me. But overall I really loved this book and I was highly impressed with the originality of it and I don't think theres much out there quite like this book!

 So please, do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK! You will not regret it I swear and if your in a reading slump I can guarantee this book will get you out of it! (just trust me for crying out loud! :))  (theres romance, plot twists, good writing its a triple threat! whats stopping ya?)

 So that it for now. Read any good books lately? Read Warcross lately or are now inspired to do so? Have any other general/ random bookish thought to share? Chat with me in the comments below!

-Bubblybooks 

 

How my taste in Romance Reads has Changed over the Years (My new expectations, low tolerance for fluff, and more)

Hey everybody! I hope your weekend is going good! I personally am not looking foreword to Monday tomorrow and am demonstrating my ignorance towards the world by crawling into a little hole in my house and searching new blogs endless online all while adding to my endless TBR.

(How I feel like should be after reading too many romance novel)

 I did however get a chance to finish up a couple of good books this past week reviews of which I have been telling myself to write up on Good Reads but for some reason I have been putting them off and crawling back into my shell of laziness and unproductiveness. I don't know if its because I'm a senior or if its because I'm dead inside but I have just been completely and utterly lacking in the motivation department lately. However on the flip side me avoiding my work has lead to a lot more extra time for reading! Hence my previous comment of finishing a few books! Both of which are:

 The Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes and The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. 
Armentrout!

They were actually surprisingly good but that might of been in part because of my extremely low expectations when going into reading... yet they both ended up with four stars on Good Reads so that must count for something am I right?

Anyways as usual I have babbled for way to long and I haven't even begun to talk about what I originally planned to. Curse my ability to go on about nothing for forever!
  Okay so Romance. For as long as I can remember I have been drawn to romance books my whole life. It started around middle school when I read the fluff from Sarah Dessen and then that grew into Pretty Little Liars and somehow grew into a love for intense utterly world shattering love stories that can be found in my current book obsessions (those of which include ADSOM and ACOMAF as well as Crooked Kingdom)

(I love 90's Rom coms shout out to my She's All That fans!)

 I think I've always been a hopeless romantic and I am just now starting to come to terms with it. I mean I did just watch two rom coms in a row last night... so theres that (and for those of you wondering they were Mamma Mia and Letters to Juliet and if you haven't watched them I highly recommend! Though I don't have very high standards, there no oscar winners but they will make you feel good none of the less)

  Whether its romantic movies, TV shows with the ultimate power couples, or books with the most daring love scenes I will be sucked in in a matter of seconds and have no regrets for doing so. So I guess I'll start from the beginning with romance books I first started reading way back when.

1.  The Age of High School Romance books (otherwise known as Insta-Love and High School Stereotypes)

We all have done it even if we won't admit it to ourselves we have read a book were the popular boy changes his ways and fall for the new girl or the book where the popular girl dates the geek. They usually contain some sort of homecoming dance or prom where the girl gets a makeover and steals the boys heart.

 Yes as silly as it is to admit now these simple minded plot lines where what melted my heart and raised my expectations of high school romance considerably. And though I probably shouldn't admit this after ratting on them I still love a good 90's rom com where the guy gets the girl (and yes there may be a makeover scene or two) but sometimes you just have to watch She's All That or Ten Things I Hate About You, its just a life necessity.

Examples of these types of romance reads include:

  Perfect chemistry, The Lovely Reckless, The Problem with Forever, What happened to goodbye)

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2. Paranormal Romance (Vampires, Werewolves, Somehow "hot" Aliens the whole enchilada)

 Okay I will admit I am a sucker for paranormal romance and still to this day will pick up a totally off the wall unrealistic book filled with blood sucking vampires that somehow have the ability to love even though they no longer have the ability to pump blood to their own hearts.
 Theres just something endearing about the forbiddeness of it all and the complex plot twists that go along with discovering their secrets.
 Many of my all of time fav paranormal reads include: The Vampire Academy, The Bloodlines, Paranormally, Obsidian, and I'm sure there more I just can't think of them at the moment.

             

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3. The Princess and Prince spin off Stories (Theres a castle, a handsome prince and a typically kick butt female lead what more could you want?)

 The classic telling of a mystery prince and a princess meeting, falling in love and doing everything in their power to protect it. These books typically consist of a runaway princess or a princess locked up in her castle and the prince runs across her in an unconventional way such as in the forest when she's caught up in a trap or when there thrown together in a situation in where they need each other to survive.
 I have read many fairytale retellings some of which are AMAZING and crazy original and others that are crazy predictable and are basically bad screen writes of the same fairy tale we have all long memorized by now. Like if I wanted the same story I would just turn on the Disney princess movie for crying out loud!

(Ex: The Lunar chronicles, Cruel beauty, Reign of Shadows, Heartless, The Queen of Hearts, The Kiss of Deception, and The selection)

          

4. The Mean Girls series where it switches multiple POV and they all have their own agendas and dirty secrets ( ex LA candy, Pretty Little liars, The Thousandth floor, The A-List) 

  I don't know about you but I have read A LOT of series where there is a bunch of back stabbing chicks out to get one another and half the time when I'm reading them Im thinking to myself What the heck it going on? Why did you just do that? That just crossed the line- I need to take a break and collect myself! I don't even know how the characters keep it together! But then I stick around because I end up getting invested in a relationship and also because I like to read about girls who do adventurous crazy things (maybe because I don't have the guts to do half the stuff these girls do)
  Also there is usually some sort of character or evil source that is trying to tear all the girls apart and in that case they group up together to try and stop it. This happens several times in The Thousandth Floor series and is pretty much all thats going on in Pretty Little Liars which I don't think I ever finished now that I think about it.
 Anyways I have kind of a love hate relationship with these kinds of books but I still find myself picking them up once and awhile just to bring back old reading memories.

   

5. Epic Romance (Fantasy unrealistic romance where its them against the World and no one can stop their love!)

 This is my ALL TIME FAVORITE! Mostly because it is all I read now and I really cannot get enough of it! I mean theres just so much love its like you can feel it in your own heart! (or maybe thats just my sappiness coming out again) never the less these books steal my heart as the characters steal each others hearts! ( yes I did just say that- embrace the cheesiness that is YA romance)
  These are the loves that usually come about because the two are truly destined to be together. Its not Insta- love, this romance takes time to mature and usually grows over time into a love in which they can treat one another as equals. The guys isn't always saving the girl, instead they save each other they are one anthers biggest strength and greatest weakness and without one another they would most likely fall apart.
 That being said their love is often the most complicated because they either have personal boundaries that keep them from loving one another or they have other forces working to tear each other apart. There is usually some sort of fantasy war or battle going on or a near death experience for one or both of the lovers and there is never a dull moment between the two! Ahhh I just love these books!

(Ex: A darker shade of magic, A Court of Mist and Fury, The Winners Curse, Six of Crows)

  

      

So there you have it! The complete list of how my romance reads have evolved over time from fluffy high school romance to intense action packed fantasy my love for romance may have changed but I don't think it will ever go away!

What about you? Have your romance tastes changed over time? Read any good romance books or watched a good rom com lately? Tell me in the comments below!

-Bubblybooks